I became the emperor in the comic book series.

Yukino tried to communicate with the cat, asking questions that no one else, not even her mother, knew about. Only the sisters knew about their past. Yukino, upon hearing the questions, gently tapped the phone screen with her soft paws to type her answers.

As more and more correct answers came out, Yukinoshita's emotions became increasingly complicated.

She had to admit that this kitten might really be her sister Yukino, or at worst, someone who possessed Yukino's memories.

But how could such a thing be possible? It's a bit surreal and unscientific.

She held the kitten that Yukino had transformed into in her arms and turned to look at Akira Higashino, who had been waiting quietly beside her from the beginning.

"Higashino-kun, you mentioned before that you also have a friend who encountered a situation similar to Yukino's?"

"Is it that zoo too?"

Higashino Akira nodded upon hearing this.

"That's why I went there. In fact, before that, I arranged for many people, including professionals in the paranormal field, to investigate the zoo repeatedly, but they didn't find anything unusual."

"Today was supposed to be the last time I went to check it out myself to confirm whether the problem was caused by this zoo."

"As a result, I didn't find anything, but your sister became like this because of some currently uncertain factors."

Yukinoshita Haruno questioned, "Is it possible that the kitten simply possessed Yukino and the others' memories, rather than Yukino and the others turning into cats?"

“I saw my friend turn back to normal with my own eyes.” Akira Higashino met Haruno’s gaze without flinching. “Almost every day, but only for a short time. At first it was about half an hour, and recently it’s been able to turn back for almost an hour.”

Upon hearing this, Haruno became excited. Even Yukino Yukinoshita, who was nestled in Haruno's arms and hadn't shown much emotion when her sister questioned her about whether she was the real Yukino or just a kitten with Yukino's memories, fixed her gaze firmly on this man.

"Is there a way to turn it back?"

"If you can turn into a cat, then of course you can turn back into a human."

"That Yukino, she..."

"She's not good enough for me, I don't have any feelings for her."

Upon hearing this, Yukinoshita Haruno was momentarily speechless, unable to utter a word for a long while before finally speaking slowly.

"What is this feeling that you don't really feel?"

"It's exactly what you're thinking, the feeling between a man and a woman."

Higashino Akira looked at her calmly, “There are always some people in this world with special identities or special abilities, like me. The reason my friend was able to turn back is because she has now become my girlfriend. She can use this special relationship to briefly turn back into a human at fixed times every day by sharing my special abilities.”

"Moreover, this change only takes effect when someone is close enough to me."

"So, you should understand now, I'm not interested in your sister."

Now that things have come to this, Yukinoshita Haruno's last shred of concern for her old classmate Higashino Akira has vanished. Considering his past character and current words and actions, it is almost impossible for him to deliberately deceive her.

But, is it really okay to do nothing at all?

What if Yukino can never turn back?

If turning into a cat is just the first step in this abnormal transformation, something even more cruel will happen later.

Or perhaps, after becoming a kitten, her lifespan was also synchronized, and Yukino only had about ten years left to live?

She took Higashino Akira's arm and flashed that social smile, "Since Higashino-kun doesn't have feelings for Yukino, then let me, as her older sister, take Yukino's place."

As the heir to the Yukinoshita family, she no longer has the freedom to choose her own marriage. In that case, choosing someone she knows and doesn't dislike is better than being forced to marry an old man who might be twenty or thirty years older than her in the future.

Yukinoshita thought to herself.

Higashino Akira pressed down on her head, which was leaning towards him, and pushed it away.

Chapter Sixty-Four: Friend's Fee

“If you said that normally, I probably would have accepted it, but now…”

"No way."

Higashino Akira doesn't lie. Even with Nagasaki Motoyo, it was only because she had extreme thoughts and acted like a sickly girl that he accepted her.

Given Nagasaki Motoyo's situation, if he didn't accept her, she might do other unpredictable things, so Higashino Akira didn't think he made a mistake by accepting her.

At least, this sickly little girl, after hanging out with him, changed her aura from that of a widow to that of a mother, and not to an extreme degree. He deserves a lot of credit for that, okay?

As for the so-called lesbian band members, that's laughable. He sleeps with lesbians just the same way, he doesn't care about this or that.

As for whether or not he's being cuckolded, what's there to be afraid of between two women? Besides, even if Nagasaki Motoyo really likes Toyokawa Shoko, according to the order of arrival, he's the one who came first.

The real victim is Mr. Xiang!

Miss Su Shi is the wife who silently protects her incompetent husband. Every time she is caught in a vortex of inner regret and physical pleasure, she struggles. Whenever Xiangzi and the other members of CRYCHIC are mentioned, her body will have all sorts of strange reactions, like a frightened little rabbit.

"It only works if the person agrees; it doesn't work for others. It's a contract with a permanent validity period. If someone agrees and then betrays or goes back on their word, they'll only suffer worse than they do now. At least as a cat, you can still live."

"Putting aside the fact that I'm not particularly interested in your sister, even from your sister's perspective, do you think she would be willing to accept something like this?"

Instead of thinking about these things, you might as well take her back first. Perhaps your Yukinoshita family can find some expert to properly resolve this matter?

That's right, that's what Higashino Akira's goal was. Compared to the loyal bodyguards, who were 100% loyal to him, and the self-taught Little Snack, whose abilities were more focused on ghost hunting and fighting, he didn't want to lose either of the former easily. The latter seemed to be too specialized and not very good at dealing with other non-direct combat situations.

Finding other professionals on your own would inevitably be a waste of time, and top-tier psychics aren't necessarily people you can hire just by spending money.

Why not let Yukinoshita's family act as the vanguard and test the depths of this possible rule-based mystery?

By becoming Xiangzi, one can also naturally transform back into a human.

Even if it doesn't work out, you can still get the latest first-hand information from the Yukinoshita family, and later the Yukinoshita sisters will still be in a situation where they can only rely on him.

Neither horizontal nor vertical lines are necessarily bad.

Awakened by Higashino Akira's words, Yukinoshita Haruno realized that she had been too hasty and lost her composure. She should have gone home and told her parents about such an important matter first. She playfully stuck out her tongue and made a joke to liven up the atmosphere before finally saying goodbye.

Akira Higashino watched her leave with Yukino, who had turned into a cat, without trying to stop her.

According to Makoto Higa, she has an older sister who is one of the most powerful psychics in the world. However, she is too busy and travels all over Asia every day to handle paranormal matters. I wonder if the Yukinoshita family can hire someone of that level to help.

As night fell, only Higashino Akira remained, which was quite boring.

After thinking about it, he decided to go out and walk towards the small underground livehouse called Shinsei in Shimokitazawa. It was so close by, and since he couldn't sleep anyway, he might as well have some free time.

After buying tickets and entering the store, the atmosphere inside was quite lively.

The performers on stage were this small, ragtag band. The blond drummer looked exactly like the shop owner's sister—the resemblance was uncanny. There was also a blue-haired guy who seemed to be playing some kind of bassist's signature "out-of-the-wipe" game, but his abstract ideas were thwarted by a karate chop from his young blond mother. As for the last one…

Yes, it's Mango Mask.

There was no one in sight, only a cardboard box on the stage.

That's great, it's all girls, I almost thought it was a girl group.

But their style is so abstract; they're clearly just into rock music.

Once they perform, it will be even more certain!

Because Akira Higashino didn't quite understand.

After all, rock music often gives people the impression that it's too easy for the average person to understand, and therefore doesn't seem hardcore or professional enough.

When everyone else is unable to laugh, how can rock musicians still get hyped up on stage? That's a kind of rock music, isn't it?

After the performance, Akira Higashino gave a loud round of applause.

This attracted the attention of passersby, and even the big, blond-haired shop manager glared at them fiercely.

"Hey, what do you mean by that?"

"I thought their performance was pretty good, so I clapped. Is there a problem with that?"

Of course there's a problem!

What's so good about this?

You can even exaggerate this? What are you really up to?

The store manager's sister-obsessed radar emitted a sharp, piercing sound.

It can't be that Hongxia and the others' performance actually had some kind of charm, right? That's impossible. Such loud applause from strangers in this situation is either malicious mockery or an attempt to sabotage them.

There were three people on stage: a cool and aloof female bassist who was unapproachable, a "Mango Mask" whose appearance was unknown and who was hiding in a cardboard box, and a cheerful and enthusiastic blonde drummer.

It seems like the younger sister is the most likely target, right?

The shop manager inwardly grumbled, knowing he couldn't openly say his sister was no good in front of so many people, nor could he accuse the customers who came to the shop of having ulterior motives. In the end, he could only manage to say, "That's for the best. I'll be keeping an eye on you!"

Then another band took the stage, and the atmosphere heated up again.

Under the store manager's wary gaze, Higashino Akira walked towards the rest area.

"Ah, it's the person who just applauded us!"

From afar, the blonde drummer girl spotted the person who had left a deep impression on her, along with her older sister hanging behind him with a sour face. She stood up enthusiastically to greet him.

"Hello everyone! I couldn't help but applaud your performance. It was really great!"

"Uh, is that really true?" The girl smiled shyly, feeling a little ashamed. "Anyway, thank you for your support! We will definitely work even harder!"

Akira Higashino felt a tap on his waist. He looked down to the side and saw the blue-haired female bassist, who was smiling smugly with her little face upturned.

"Want an autograph? As the first fan, it's only 5,000 yen! If you want to take a photo with the band's pretty girls, it's only 10,000 yen!"

"What about exchanging contact information?"

With a smile, Akira Higashino said something that made the girl's eyes light up and she immediately reached out and grabbed his hand tightly.

"Friendship fee of 100,000 per month!"

"Okay, I want the mango mask one!"

"No, she's my good friend, I can't just betray her. You have to pay more!"

The girl greedily raised the price, saying, "She's worth at least 200,000 a month!"

"What if I want to take it a step further?"

The girl covered her face and cried sadly, but not a single tear fell. "Although I'm very reluctant, if you really like her, three million. This child's future is in your hands. You must treat her well!"

Beside her, the pink-haired girl secretly lifted a crack in the cardboard box, her eyes sparkling as she looked outside.

Good friend! She has a boyfriend?

Moreover, her net worth is actually more than that of Liang!

Wait a minute! Why is she suddenly getting married?!

Pink Hair's eyes widened instantly, and he was so frightened that he turned into a wild snake on the spot.

Waaah... Dad, Mom, your daughter is getting married today. Erli, your sister will definitely miss you.

6﹃9

...............................

...............................

P.S.: The update is a little late, there's more to come, I'm still working on it. I'll write at least another 4,000 words tonight. Brothers, try not to stay up too late, read it tomorrow morning.

Chapter Sixty-Five: I'm giving it away for free?

"Liang! What are you saying?!"

"The band doesn't offer that service!"

Hongxia finally snapped out of her daze after the series of absurd conversations and delivered a precise chop to Liang's forehead, making a crisp sound.

"It hurts..." Liang covered her head, looking innocent. "I was just helping her explore possibilities."

"This isn't exploring possibilities at all; it's just selling off the entire mile!"

“But the price negotiation went very smoothly,” Liang retorted seriously. “That shows I have a talent for business.”

"Absolutely not! And why are you the one selling it?!"

Hongxia glared angrily at her unreliable teammate, then quickly turned to look at the cardboard box behind her—inside, Goto Ichiri was completely petrified, his eyes darting around, muttering nonsense like "marriage," "dowry," and "Ichiri is going to be an aunt."

"Yili! Yili! Wake up! Liang was just joking!"

Hongxia quickly squatted down, pressing her hands against the edge of the cardboard box, trying to pull the soul inside, which had already drifted into outer space, back.

"Eh...are you kidding me?" Ichiri slowly regained her senses, peeking half her face out of the cardboard box, her eyes filled with relief at surviving the ordeal, mixed with a complex mix of emotions.

"Of course I'm joking! How could I just sell you off or marry you off so casually!"

Hongxia smiled brightly and patted Yili's head hard. Even though there was a cardboard in between, the warmth was still conveyed.

Ichiri quietly retreated back into the box, but soon she peeked out again, looking at Hongxia who was bickering with Liang with a somewhat dejected expression.